Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Frederick, Maryland USA

Very good. The first Baltic Porter I’ve tried, so I don’t really have any style reference points. It is similar to imperial stouts, so if you’re IS fan (like me) than this is a must-try. I think Hunter would have been proud.

Portly dark black with nary a sliver of light getting through. Medium muffin batter thick cap of cocoa brown laps at the top. Breaks down fairly quickly though, eventually revealing a slight oily residue and splotchy lacing. Aroma is calm and clean of slick melted chocolate from darker suited candy bars and a small roasted grain underbelly with evident hints of dark rum soaked dates and raisins. Flavors are great. Nice chocolatey realm with all sorts of fun subtlities within making for a very dark enticing treat. Sensual chocolate coats deep and lasts long with a darker sense of the cocoa bean being leaned into. Slick and quickly chewy with a brownie-like dryness. Finish brings out lots of interestingly fun stuff with coffee roast and light burnt grains and cinnamon-raisin toast. A touch of hop spice and licorice dipped in nougat takes a late return after some of the roast leaves. Then more chocolate creeps back across the palate. A delightful and finely fanatastic finisher. Totally worth every sip just to get to it. Feel is well textured in the porter realm of things. Bold, thick, lavish, and remarkably clean with a broad medium, sensible body. And the carbonation seems right on for a big chocolatey porter such as this. Quite nice. The 9.5% barely shows itself. Smooth and majorly drinkable. The 12oz’er isn’t close to enough to satisfying as you’ll want and need more of this, one time, finally kick ass, brew, by Flying Dog. By far, my first very impressionable beer by them. Kudos for trying something beyond their normal stuff that I tend to find too simple and boring.

poured super jet black with a wonderful chocolate colored head, nose is sweet with dried fruit , choc malts and a nice port nose. flavor is currants black licorice, chocolate and alcohol but really well balanced. this one is a 06. very nice beer. Thanx Harry

Draught at The Red in Santa Cruz. Black with a tan head that leaves plenty of lace. Roasty cocoa aroma. Plenty of chocolate flavor, with lower bitterness and not very much harsher roast flavors. Lighter fruity flavors, and a little dry dustiness in the finish. A little on the sweet side, but remains fairly balanced. Full and smooth body. Nice stuff, really sipable, but pretty straight-forward as well. Actually, I could pretty much drink this like it was a regular porter, for good or for bad.

Vintage 05. Pours dark and thick with a big off white head. Chocolate and fruit aroma. Very balanced taste that has hints of chocolate malt, dark fruit, and dry merlot. This is a very smooth and elegant beer that is a wonderful tribute to the HST.

Pours black with a shallow tan froth. Aroma of cocoa, and leather. Full nectar with residual effers. Flavors are deep, dark black chocolate with espresso, old boot leather, black cherries, brown sugar, iodine. Finishes with a nice hop. I caught a hint of celery (only downfall). Overall: big, bold, earthy, and complex with a slight sweetness similar to a Baltic style. Highly recommended.

Lots of roast in the aroma, with some obvious notes of nuts and vanilla. Jet black body with a small brown head. Roasty flavor, some sweetness, lots of vanilla, very smooth. Good one. RIP Hunter S. Thompson!

12oz bottle: second time i’ve had this and pretty disappointed again. Dark black with a cream colored head, lots of chocolate aromas, coffee, and molasses. Lightly sour and bittered with flavors that follow the aromas. Unbalanced and kinda strange.